[78-L] Blue

[Charles Bihun]

According to a Wikipedia article (snopes.com also addresses this), one of the first known references  to "blue" laws was in the late 18th. century in regard to the moral codes of the Puritans prohibiting the conduct of business on certain days of the week, usually Sunday.

It was later surmised that the name came from the laws being printed on blue paper or gathered together into books bound in blue.  To date, these have been proved to be bogus claims.  

Regardless, the usage of "blue" to refer to moral conduct that is prohibited clearly predated the modern age and editing of copy for any media, mooting, while very romantic, the notion that the term derived from the use of the editor's blue pencil.  

ChuckB 




________________________________
From: Steven C. Barr <stevenc at interlinks.net>
To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Monday, July 20, 2009 11:11:59 PM
Subject: Re: [78-L] Blue

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Lennick" <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
> "Blue" means off color. "Blue pencil" means censor. It also means edit. 
> Which
> context came first..anyone know?
>
> Not off topic..English comic Jack "Blue Pencil" Warner made 78s (I think 
> he
> even used the term on them, when referring to something he wasn't going to 
> be
> allowed to say).
>
Interesting! The original meaning of "blue" was "sad, despondent..." and 
that
goes back several centuries. Obviously "blue pencil" could refer to a 
LITERAL
blue pencil, used to cross out material in scripts deemed too risque for the
public; OTOH "blue pencil" could refer to "blue" content being marked out?!

Has anyone asked David Diehl...he of the "Blue Pages?!"

...stevenc 

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